Category: 3-DailySometimeCommentary

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What A Day - The ‘Dark Fleet’ Behind Venezuela’s Oil Trade

The United States Coast Guard seized another oil tanker, the Olina, on Friday. It is the fifth Venezuela-linked tanker seized by US forces under President Trump, and the third since the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Earlier last week, the US seized a vessel near Iceland following a slow chase across the Atlantic Ocean. That ship, the Bella 1, was renamed the Marinera and started flying the Russian flag after US forces first tried to board it back in December. So, what’s going on with all of these sneaky name changes? To find out, we spoke to Shelby Holliday. She’s a senior video producer and journalist for The Wall Street Journal, where she focuses on geopolitics.

And in headlines, protests across the U.S. continue following the death of Renee Good at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Russia’s war in Ukraine rages on, and Trump weighs his options in Iran as state violence against protestors ramps up.

Show Notes:


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The Indicator from Planet Money - How far can philanthropy go to fill government gaps?

While Americans are known for their generosity, the U.S. government, increasingly, is not. The Trump administration’s cuts to SNAP benefits among other aid programs have forced states, foundations and donors to fill the gaps. But can they? On today’s show, the limits of philanthropic efforts to supplant federal aid. 

Related episodes: 
Why tech bros are trying to give away all their money (kind of) 

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.  


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What Next - What Next | Daily News and Analysis – Emperor Trump Wants Greenland

Is Trump genuinely interested in expanding America’s borders or is this all just to further their mission of “looking tough online”? For the people surprised to suddenly find themselves on America’s bad side, does it matter? 


Guest: Jonathan M. Katz, journalist and the author of Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, the Marines, and the Making and Breaking of America’s Empire and author of theracket.news newsletter.


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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther.

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What Next - What Next: TBD | Tech, power, and the future – How Grok Filled X With Deepfake Porn

To kick off the new year, users on X have been asking Grok to nudify people - and kids - at an astonishing rate. And X leadership is egging them on. 


Guest: Jason Koebler, founder of 404 Media and host of the 404 Media Podcast


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Podcast production by Evan Campbell, and Patrick Fort.

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Audio Mises Wire - Did the Articles of Confederation Fail? Probably Not

The standard explanation for the Constitutional Convention was that the Articles of Confederation were a failure. However, the Articles actually worked the way they were supposed to work. Unfortunately, the advocates of a strong central government ultimately got their way.

Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/did-articles-confederation-fail-probably-not

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More or Less - Does Venezuela really have the biggest oil reserves in the world?

When people think of oil rich nations their mind generally goes to Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the US.

But according to international statistics, the country with the largest oil reserves is Venezuela, with 300 billion barrels worth.

At their peak they produced over 3.5 million barrels of the stuff per day. However, due to lack of investment, sanctions and mismanagement that peak is long gone.

Following their military intervention, the US administration claims they can get Venezuela's oil production up and running at full capacity within 18 months.

But can they, and why is it that estimates for other countries oil reserves have fluctuated but Venezuela’s has stayed at 300 billion barrels for over two decades?

Presenter: Tim Harford Producer: Lizzy McNeill Series Producer: Tom Colls Editor: Richard Vadon Production Co-Ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound Mix: Dave O’Neill

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The Indicator from Planet Money - How AI is shrinking the job market for teens

Karissa Tang is a 17-year-old in California who got curious about the impact of AI on typical teen jobs like cashiers and fast food counter workers. She embarked on an ambitious economic research project and shares her findings with us.

Related episodes: 
How much is AI actually affecting the workforce?
AI creates, transforms and destroys... jobs
When does youth employment become child labor?

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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More or Less - The Stats of the Nation: Immigration, benefits and inequality

What kind of state does the UK find itself in as we start 2026? That’s the question Tim Harford and the More or Less team is trying to answer in a series of five special programmes.

In the final episode, we’re looking at the numbers behind some of the UK’s most potent political debates:

Has 98% of the UK’s population growth come from immigration?

Do we spend more on benefits in the UK than in other high-income countries?

Is the gap between rich and poor growing?

Get in touch if you’ve seen a number in the news you think we should take a look at: moreorless@bbc.co.uk

Contributors:

Madeleine Sumption, Director of the Migration Observatory at Oxford University Lukas Lehner, Assistant Professor at the University of Edinburgh Arun Advani, Director of the Centre for the Analysis of Taxation and a Professor of Economics at the University of Warwick. Alex Scholes, Research Director at NatCen

Credits:

Presenter: Tim Harford Producers: Lizzy McNeill, Nathan Gower, Katie Solleveld and Charlotte McDonald Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound mix: Sarah Hockley and James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon

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What A Day - The White House Blames Victim In Minnesota ICE Shooting

On Thursday, protestors continued to gather in Minnesota’s largest city to stand up to Immigration and Customs Enforcement after an officer fatally shot a woman on Wednesday. The victim’s name was Renee Good. She was a US citizen, a parent, and a recent transplant to Minnesota. She is being remembered as a deeply loving person – her mother telling The Minnesota Star Tribune she was “one of the kindest people I’ve ever known.” But none of that has mattered to the White House, which has been slandering her memory. To talk more about Minneapolis and the Administration’s disregard for Americans and American life, we spoke to Alex Wagner. She’s the host of Crooked Media’s podcast, Runaway Country.

And in headlines, House lawmakers pass a bill to extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that expired at the end of the year, New York City takes baby-steps toward universal child care, and President Trump reportedly wants to bribe every citizen of Greenland with greenbacks.

Show Notes:


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